Maskoholics Anonymous

The first step is admitting you have a problem.

Mas·ko·​ho·lism

/maskəˈhôlizəm/
noun

• an addiction to masking or the mental illness and compulsive behavior resulting from mask dependency.

---

The CDC’s abrupt announcement effectively ending the need for vaccinated people to be masked has exposed a group of people who seem either unwilling or incapable of coming to terms with the factual evidence that supports this move, since they have developed a dependency on those warm, comforting safety face blankets.

As I mentioned in my previous post, caution is not science, but lots of folks who felt extremely comfortable citing science and public health guidelines for the past year are suddenly skittish and suspicious, opting to continue taking unnecessary precautions because of “common sense” in contradiction of those very same venerated sources of authority. Terrible public messaging on covid and the awful decision to pause the Johnson & Johnson vaccine—which had a demonstrable chilling effect on vaccination rates in the US—have left people trusting masks more than vaccines, and confused to the point of denying the new guidelines even exist.

The White House @WhiteHouse

Big news from the CDC: If you’re fully vaccinated, you do not need to wear a mask – indoors or outdoors, in most settings. We’ve gotten this far. Whether you choose to get vaccinated or wear a mask, please protect yourself until we get to the finish line.

There is absolutely a tendency on the right to treat issues like masking and vaccination as tribalist (to detrimental effects), but the relaxation of safety measures as the country becomes more vaccinated and covid numbers continue to drop has revealed a Newtonian equal-but-opposite tribalist force operating on the left, whose actions range from concocting bizarre conspiracy theories to explain away good numbers in open states like Florida, to preaching pre-vaccination levels of caution for vaccinated people in direct contradiction of current studies, and now of official CDC guidelines as well.

This isn’t a political battle. It’s time to trust the rising consensus among experts and public health officials, as well as the increasingly positive covid numbers—vaccination enables a return to normal life.

Admit that you have a problem.

---

I’ve recently gotten back to streaming on Twitch. Also check out my other content on Twitter and YouTube.